The invention relates to a door system for a passenger car with at least two rows of seats. Furthermore, the invention relates to a method for operating such a door system.
A door system for a passenger car is already known from EP 1 068 970 A1, in which two side doors which are attached on opposite sides of a door portal on a respective side of the vehicle and open in opposite directions are provided. The two side doors border on each other at a butt joint in a respective closed position in the middle of the door portal. The door portal in this case is formed with no column between the two side doors, with the front side door covering the rear side door. Consequently, the front side door must first be brought from a closed position into an open position before the rear side door can be opened for sitting down on or exiting from the rear seat row.
Furthermore, a problem arises when getting into the interior of the passenger car and sitting down on the rear seat row in that the seat occupant occupying the space can indeed close the rear side door again, but the front side door usually cannot be closed again at all, or only with great effort. The same also holds for the occupants of the front seat row on the opposite side of the vehicle—especially in broader vehicles—and in particular for the driver. Thus, the driver must usually get out and walk around the vehicle to close the front side door.
The described situation is known not only for vehicles with the described opposing side doors, but also in particular for three-door vehicles with only one front side door through which a place on the rear seat row also needs to be occupied.
The object of the present invention is therefore to create a door system for a motor vehicle, as well as a corresponding method of operating such a door system, by which an easier and more comfortable closing of the front side door of the passenger car is made possible.
This and other objects are achieved according to the invention by a door system for a passenger car having at least two seat rows, comprising a front side door of a corresponding vehicle side, which can be brought into an open position from a closed position for sitting down on or exiting from the rear seat row, wherein the front side door is movable from the open position into the closed position by a door drive. This object is also achieved as well by a method for operating such a door system.
For an easier and more comfortable closing of the front side door of the passenger car, it is provided in the door system according to the invention that the side door can be moved from the open position into the closed position by way of a door drive. Thus, especially when a seat occupant sits down on the rear seat row, the corresponding front side door which likewise needs to be opened for the corresponding occupant to get in can be easily closed, namely, driven. In particular, when no one is sitting on the front passenger seat, the front passenger door can thus be easily closed, for example, without it having to be closed by the driver or the rear occupant in an uncomfortable manner with great effort or by leaving the car. Instead, this is done by the door drive according to the invention, which can be operated or activated in particular by the driver, but also if necessary by another occupant.
Of course, if necessary it is also contemplated to use the door drive in addition for the opening of the door. The present door system is suitable here not only for vehicles with opposing side doors, in which the front door covers the rear in the area of the mutual butt joint, but also in particular for three-door vehicles with only one front side door through which a place on the rear seat row needs to be occupied.
In an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the door drive also serves as a door brake, by means of which the side door is to be braked during its opening and held in the respective open position. Thus, the door drive is advantageously provided with a dual function.
In another embodiment of the invention, the activation of the door drive occurs by way of an activating element which can be operated by the driver. This may be in particular a central closing button or the like of the closing mechanism. Thus, the central closing button also preferably has a dual function.
Furthermore, it is advantageous when a closing mechanism is provided with respective door locks, by which the corresponding side doors are held in the closed position and which are to be unlocked by a respective inside activating element, wherein, after an activation of an enable function of the closing mechanism, the door lock of the front side door is to be unlocked by an activating element different from its activating element. This enables a simple and comfortable opening of the rear side door by first activating a corresponding enable function of the closing mechanism, after which the front side door, which is to be opened first, is to be unlocked by an additional activating element, different from its own activating element, which is normally located on the interior door paneling of the corresponding door. This makes possible a remote unlocking of the first, preferably front, door, covering the rear door. After this, the door lock of the second, rear door can then be unlocked or opened. On the whole, an easier and more comfortable opening of the rear side door results.
The activating element different from the actual activating element of the front side door by which the front door is then to be opened after the activation of the enable function can be, for example and in particular, the activating element of the rear door. But alternatively to this, other activating elements are also contemplated which make possible an unlocking of the door lock of the front door which covers the rear door. Accordingly, the activating element could also be a switch or the like situated elsewhere. The arrangement, design and position of the activating element or switch, or also a cable or the like, to trigger the enabling and the unlocking function is not specified and may be chosen basically freely and arranged inside the vehicle. Furthermore, the same button can also be provided for the enabling and unlocking. Moreover, the number of activations for the enabling, unlocking and exiting is not specified and may be chosen arbitrarily.
Furthermore, it is advantageous when, after the activation of the enable function of the locking mechanism, the door lock of the front side door is to be unlocked by a first movement of the activating element of the door lock of the rear side door and then the door lock of the rear side door is to be unlocked by a further movement of this activating element. In this way, an intuitively activatable opening possibility is also achieved for the entire door system.
The benefits mentioned above in connection with the door system according to the invention likewise apply to the method of operating such a door system.
Other objects, advantages and novel features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of one or more preferred embodiments when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.